The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-10-05
The Way 10 Get I.Ong-term Schools
as Plain as the Road to Market.

AN FIa1n 6S tHe kkOHu ~
The Clinton Enterprise says that good
schools In the country are growing lever
every year" and gives as the cause INC pre-.
sent management of the free school iunu,
whereby ~ three months school Is ABOUT tne
extent Of school advantages IN the majority
of communities. Inc Eme,i,sSn W S,r n" 70: that Is
con ccrned, the allegation may he cnrrect. bu
the same statements would not apply TO thls
county nor do we believe they would 10 any
considerable portion Of the stale.
There are OF course. lamentable defects IN
the school system Of the state. but II Is not
utterly bad, and with proper management =. q
great deal Of good can be gotten ont Of II. ~
Is true that In This county, a. well as In
Others, there are deficiencies in school iacili
ties But instead of these deficiencies lncrcas,
ing they are being removed steadily !nsleau
Of The number OF good schools becon,ing few.
er ip the county. they are being Increased
every year. The school facilities OF the coun.
~ are not what they ought 10 pc; out tneS u,e
batter than they have been and they are oeln9
continually mproved.-GrcenuRte NeWs.
Answering for Abbevile, We believe the
public schools In this county to be in better
condition than at any time since the organiza-
ton OF the system. We have better teachers
and longer terms. In this county, we believe
the schools will average at least seven
months.
In former years, when we paid forty dollars
n month to teachers and Illegally spent large
sums of the childrcn's money In support ol
high schools, we had fewer public schools
than we have at present. Then, AooeVlne
county like Laurens county now, had only "a
three months school in majority OF the
communities"
Since then our people and our officers have
learned thing or two. The salaries of teach
ers have been reduced, and the unlawful ap-
preparations to the high schools have been
wholly or materially cut of. These FACTS
combined have given us experienced teach'
ers. and more than double the former length
of the school terms.
Recently, In the discussions Of the admins
tration OF the schools in this county, the Iact
has been discovered that the School Commits
sIoners had no right to fix the salaries oil
tencbers. That duty will hereafter deVolVe
on the school trustees in each township, and
IL is quite likely that the good sense OF al
jeast some OF these trustees will make sill
further reduction In the pay of teachers,
where It can be done without Injury TO the
service. Eighteen dollars month will likely
be the ruling price for first grade teachers.
In many townships most teaeht rs can be had
for these figures. and when good teachers may
De Dau luut price "Cblc w sb'A'A>
the trustees will not waste the public money
BIZ excessive salaries or in awarding liberal
bonnties TO needy teachers who may chance
10 have influential friends.
We have plenty Of money to run our
schools II practical common sense rules are
applied to the expenditure.
II the Clinton Enterprise would send his
County School Commissioner over to Abbe.
Vile to consult Capt. Cowan, the School Com
missioner who has given us an example OF
what can be done In giving good schools and
long terms, he would learn valuable lesson
and take new heart. Capt. Cowan has more
nearly solved the school question than any
other man In the State. He has proved that
we may have good teachers at Sl5 and 500 u
month, and our school trustees viii prove
that SlS month will get good teachers foi
nearly all the echools.
When the school authorities learn that they
nre not q set OF pension agents authorized 10
divide out the public fund between needy
teachers, but that they arc the servants Of the
people, endowed with the high and sacred
trust OF looking after the interests of the chill
drcn, there will be no more complaint ahnui
the public schools. There may be Il time when
the tax payers can pension all the needy school
teachers, and educate the children, hut their
first duty Is to the children.